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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Could A Fainting Spell In Parkinsons Patient Be A Seizure,stroke Or Vascular Dementia?

My 76 year old grandfather has Parkinson's and the severity of the disease has increased in less than 6 months. No one can seem to get his medications straightened out. He is currently taking Sinemet along with many other medications. He is in a constant struggle trying to walk, talk, and sleep. His sundowners is getting pretty bad too. He s always falling. He has had 3 "fainting' spells that rendered him unconscious for about a minute. The doctors said that he did not "pass out" but they aren't sure what to define it as. My theory is maybe he's having a mini seizure or a mini stroke. Perhaps he is experiencing vascular dementia?
Tue, 11 Oct 2016
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Neurologist,  's  Response
Hello!

Thank you for asking on HCM!

I carefully passed through your question and would explain that stroke or seizures are not typical features of Parkinson disease.

Possible orthostatic hypotension can be the cause of these fainting episodes.

You should know that in the advanced stages of Parkinson disease, the autonomic nervous system dysfunction is really prominent.

I would recommend you to closely monitor his blood pressure in standing up and sitting position. A Head Up Tilt test would be necessary to exclude possible orthostatic intolerance.

I would also recommend performing a brain MRI to exclude other possible causes and an ambulatory 24-48 hours ECG monitoring to exclude possible cardiac arrhythmia.

Hope to have been helpful!

Best wishes,

Dr. Aida
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Could A Fainting Spell In Parkinsons Patient Be A Seizure,stroke Or Vascular Dementia?

Hello! Thank you for asking on HCM! I carefully passed through your question and would explain that stroke or seizures are not typical features of Parkinson disease. Possible orthostatic hypotension can be the cause of these fainting episodes. You should know that in the advanced stages of Parkinson disease, the autonomic nervous system dysfunction is really prominent. I would recommend you to closely monitor his blood pressure in standing up and sitting position. A Head Up Tilt test would be necessary to exclude possible orthostatic intolerance. I would also recommend performing a brain MRI to exclude other possible causes and an ambulatory 24-48 hours ECG monitoring to exclude possible cardiac arrhythmia. Hope to have been helpful! Best wishes, Dr. Aida